


Weave Me a Tale (And Hope for a Happy Ending)

by TimmyJaybird



Series: Wish I Had An Angel [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Violence, budding friendship, implied mentions of past torture, little murder clone, mentions of past sexual abuse, the cutest of little birds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:02:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6292621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimmyJaybird/pseuds/TimmyJaybird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick and Jason don't have much of a choice but to bring their son into the light- and weave a story as to <i>why</i> he exists at all. But even if the story is fake- the consequences of Vanni's acknowledged existence are not. And the peace they've clung to, for quite some time, may have finally found it's end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Weave Me a Tale (And Hope for a Happy Ending)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Saturday everyone! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and popping by my tumblr to talk about this series, and of course, Vanni!

Jason watched as Vanni curled his bare foot around the edge of the chair, one leg perched up as he leaned around it to shove his spoon into his mouth. The box of cereal was left on the table- Jason knew better than to put it away until both Vanni and Dick had completely left the table.

He could lament for hours about Vanni picking up Dick’s cereal addiction- but okay, maybe he didn’t _completely_ mind a bowl of Cocoa Puffs now and then.

“We have to tell a story,” Dick was saying, sitting across from their son, while Jason hovered back by the coffeepot. “Because most of the world won’t _understand_ the truth. They don’t know about who we really are.” He was sugar-coating it, and Jason _knew_ he had the best intentions- but he also almost wanted to snap at Dick to just be _blunt_.

Yes, Vanni was still a kid. But a kid who had seen some serious _shit_ , and he didn’t need to be babied- not right now.

“You have to pretend to have a different past,” Dick said, “We all know it’s just a story- but it’s one the rest of the world is going to believe.”

Jason gritted his teeth. He felt on edge, over this. Had felt on edge when he’d come home- that feeling in the pit of his gut that there had been eyes on him, all over again. And god, he could be going crazy- but he knew better than to simply discount that sense that had been drilled into him, since he paraded around in those damn green shorts.

He knew to trust his gut- he just wasn’t sure exactly what it _meant_. But it left him feeling irritable, and he didn’t care for that.

“Just _tell him_ straight,” Jason finally said, his voice coming as a gruff growl from his chest. Dick snapped his head to look at him- frowning. Frowning in that way that said he wasn’t _happy_ with Jason’s tone. Jason took a long gulp of coffee, didn’t care that it burned the whole way down, before he grabbed a chair and turned it around, setting down to lean against the back of it. “Little wing,” he said, looking at Vanni, who was still munching on his cereal. “We love you. We want the world to love you. But the world can’t handle _you_. Just like they can’t handle _us_. So, we have to lie.”

Dick glanced at Jason, before he sighed, folding his hands on the table. “We’re going to tell them you’re my cousin. You can still call us _dad_. I think we can both agree we like that a lot.” Another glance at Jason, who nodded. “Bruce and I, we built a whole story for you. One the world will believe. We’ve got explanations for,” Dick paused, exhaled- and Jason knew he didn’t want to say it-

“How you look,” Jason offered, as he reached across the small table. He dragged his thumb along Vanni’s jaw, over one vein- and Vanni glanced at his thumb as he pulled away. “Because we have to- because the world is cruel, and they’re going to ask. But it doesn’t change that you’re gorgeous kid.”

Vanni swallowed- and Jason wondered if he believed it. He had yet to say a word, this entire time. His cereal was gone now, his spoon left forgotten in the bowl.

“I want to tell you everything, to make sure you like it,” Dick added, “because we promised- no secrets. And it’s _your_ story, you should get a say.” Vanni nodded, and Dick pushed his chair back, standing up. He walked around the table, leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “We love you kiddo. We’re doing this so we don’t have to hide you. Because we want everyone to know how much we love you.”

Vanni bit at his lip, but he nodded. Dick stroked his hair, before heading out of the room, leaving Jason alone with him. Jason watched Vanni pluck at the hem of his tshirt sleeve, knew from the slight slump to his shoulders, the way he was pulling into himself- that he was upset.

“Did you have fun at the Manor yesterday?” Jason asked. Vanni glanced up through his hair- free and still messy from sleep, and nodded. “Yeah? Alfred keep you company?”

Vanni lifted his hands, began signing. Jason watched his hands, squinted, trying to pull the signs together.

“He...showed you…?” Jason trailed off, and Vanni lifted his hands, signing again as he spoke,

“He showed me pictures.”

_Oh_. “He did? Of?”

“You and dad.” His hands were still moving, but his voice was beginning to sound a little more sure. Jason appreciated that he could do both- it helped _him_ learn what Vanni was signing.

“Yeah? Did you like them?” Vanni nodded. “I found one last night. I put it on your nightstand- did you find it?” Another nod, and Vanni was looking down now. Jason reached out, tipped his chin up. “What’s up little wing?”

“Damian said we don’t go in that room.” It took a minute for him to get all the words out, his hands moving along- dual communicating so that Jason could still understand and _learn_. 

“My old room? I suppose not. Knowing Bruce.”

Vanni sucked on his lip. “Are you mad?”

Jason frowned. “That you went in my old room? No, not at all. I forgot about that picture even existed. It was nice to see it again.” He stood up took the few steps to Vanni and leaned over, pulling him into a tight hug. The kid turned, pressed his face into Jason’s chest- and god, he felt so small, Jason still couldn’t believe it. “Did Damian give you a hard time?”

Vanni shook his head, before nuzzling closer. Jason tipped his head down, trying to catch a glimpse- but his face was completely hidden.

“No? So, no fights this time?” He smiled, and Vanni again shook his head. “Was he _nice_?” Vanni huffed, and it almost had Jason laughing- but he didn’t say anything. “Hey, kiddo, _c’mon_. What’re you hiding for?” He grasped at Vanni’s shoulders, got him gently pushed back enough that he had to lift his head-

And he was _blushing_. His cheeks were the sweetest pink, showing over his ashen-tanned skin. Jason’s brows rose, before he sputtered,

“Are you blushing Vanni?” Vanni shook his head, and Jason could only grin. “You _are_.” He reached out, tapped one cute cheek playfully. “What _happened_?”

Another shake of his head, and then Vanni was mumbling, so quietly Jason couldn’t even hear him.

“I can’t hear you, little wing,” Jason teased, and Vanni glanced up at him, taking a deep breath.

“Damian said you can’t know.” With that Vanni pulled away, turning and running out of the kitchen, heading down the hall and for his room. Jason stared as Dick leaned to the side, avoiding the kid, before he finished making his way back into the kitchen, holding his phone.

“What uh- what did I miss?”

“I don’t really _know_ ,” Jason admitted, still staring at the now empty hallway. “I was just asking him if Damian was nice to him, and he… I don’t know.” Jason reached up, swiped his hair back. “He was _blushing_.”

Dick quirked his own brow, but shrugged a shoulder. “As long as they’re getting along. That’s a step in the right direction.” He set his phone down on the table, closing in closer to Jason. “More important question, are _we_ getting along?”

Jason sighed, glancing away. “I was a little bitchy, huh?”

“Only a _little_ sharp,” Dick teased, “but there’s four causes for you getting _snippity_ with me. You didn’t sleep enough, you didn’t get enough caffeine, you didn’t get _fucked _enough, or,” Dick reached up, rubbed his hand reassuring along Jason’s chest, “something is actually very wrong.”__

__Jason sighed, and Dick leaned in, kissed his cheek._ _

__“Talk to me Jaybird. What’s going on?”_ _

__“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” Jason said, “but… I keep getting this feeling someone is _watching_. At least, at night. When I’m on patrol.” He shrugged. “It might be nothing, but it creeps up on me and suddenly I’m laying awake for an hour thinking about it- trying to figure out if maybe I saw someone and I assumed it was a shadow- wondering if I’m crazy.”_ _

__“Oh, you’re crazy alright,” Dick said, with a lazy grin, “after all, you have to put up with me every damn day.” Jason snorted, hooked his arm around Dick’s waist, pulled him in flush against him._ _

__“I don’t mind being _that_ kind of crazy,” he mumbled, resting his forehead against Dick’s. “You’re my favorite cause for insanity.”_ _

__Dick laughed, hooking his arms up around Jason’s neck. “I hope it stays that way.” He leaned up more, ghosted his mouth along Jason’s. “For a long, _long_ time.”_ _

__*_ _

__Vanni tugged at the sleeves of his sweater, peering around Jason, out the glass door, to spot the media sitting rather _impatiently_ outside. There were so many of them, like a swimming sea of flashes, all holding cameras and recorders- he couldn’t pick a single person out from the crowd, couldn’t tell them apart._ _

__He took a deep breath, straightening up, content behind his dad, where he couldn’t be seen. Dick was talking with Bruce, and Vanni _knew_ from the drive to Gotham what it was about. Final _touches_ on a story created-_ _

___Just for him_._ _

__He understood why it had to happen. He _knew_ he wasn’t normal. Even if it felt as if there was so little to compare himself to- he _knew_. Knew from the little snapshots of Dick and Jason’s life, in those pictures- knew from simply seeing Damian’s room._ _

__He was some sort of _other_._ _

__Vanni bit at the inside of his cheek, wished he could hide himself in his over sized floral sweater. Wished there weren’t so many people. Wished he was _home_. Wished he was watching those ballet videos he and Dick had watched that morning again. Wished he was watering his plant._ _

__Wished for anything except _this_._ _

__But he knew they were doing it because they _had_ to. And he liked when Dick had spoken and told him after this, there wouldn’t be anymore hiding in the penthouse. No more quick outings- they could go out and it wouldn’t matter who recognized them, who saw them. And _that_ was something he wanted._ _

__Vanni had lived in shadows his whole life- he was ready for a little sun._ _

__“Kiddo?” He glanced up, and Dick had left Bruce’s side, was offering his hand. “You ready to do this?” Vanni licked his lips, took Dick’s hand- gave the subtlest of nods. “You don’t have to say a word. Bruce and I, we’re doing all the talking.”_ _

__“And if it feels weird,” Jason said, taking up Vanni’s other side, sliding his large hand around Vanni’s. “You squeeze my hand. Don’t let go- I think I might need it.” Vanni flashed a smile then- felt _better_ flanked on both sides by his dads- felt safe like no one had ever made him feel before. Felt _protected_ -_ _

__Felt what it was like to honestly be loved._ _

__The walk outside, it felt like it was in slow motion, the time dragging as if they trudged through tar. Dick had to release his hand to stand with Bruce, while the man began addressing the crowd and the sudden uproar of _rumors_ regarding the new addition to his family. Vanni didn’t pay attention to the words- he’d heard them, he’d been told all the stories, all the explanations- he didn’t dislike them, they made sense to him._ _

__Still, when Dick started speaking, started weaving a tale of a kid that was abused, who had trouble communicating because of his trauma- well, he squeezed Jason’s hand. He squeezed and he thought of water kissed with ice invading his throat and lungs. He thought of large hand holding him, keeping his face submerged, as he screamed and breathed it all in, until his lungs were full and ached and he was sure he was _dying_ \- until he was pulled free, had to vomit up water that felt like acid._ _

__Jason squeezed back, glanced down at him- offered up the smallest of smiles, and Vanni clung to that, held it in his chest like a treasure._ _

__It felt like agonizing hours, until Dick was done and getting down on one knee, hugging him. And he _knew_ it was for show- but there was honesty in it, too. Honesty, because Vanni knew that this man loved him- that Jason loved him, too. No matter the lies they told the world, there would be truth between the three of them- they’d promised that._ _

__He wrapped his arms around Dick’s neck, hugged tightly, and when Dick stood up and lifted him, squeezed him and then turned and kissed Jason openly, much to the amusement of the media watching. Behind them, Bruce was waving everyone off, telling them they would release further statements at a later time- but that, as a family, they simply wanted to be allowed to _live a little_._ _

__Vanni almost wished Dick or Jason would’ve carried him away, but he was content to walk between them. Once back inside Wayne Enterprises, everyone gave a sigh of relief- Jason instantly reaching up to loosen his tie._ _

__“They’re going to be around for a while,” Bruce said, glancing past them and spotting the media still swarming._ _

__“C’mon kiddo,” Dick said, taking Vanni’s hand again, “How about we go upstairs and check out the view from Bruce’s office?” Vanni nodded, glancing back- but Jason only smiled, stuffing his hands into his pockets._ _

__“Go on little wing. I’ll hang out with the big bad bat.” He glanced over at Bruce- and Vanni could see the tension there- but he couldn’t completely _understand_ it. He let it go, following Dick to the elevators, climbing on and bouncing on the balls of his feet, feeling better already away from the world._ _

__“You did really well,” Dick offered, stroking his hair- fighting the urge to ruffle it so as to not disrupt his braid. “Do you feel okay?”_ _

__Vanni shrugged, signed _okay_ , felt like words might have been too much. Dick only nodded, squeezed his shoulder, and when the elevator stopped, led him off it._ _

__“I used to like visiting Bruce when I was younger,” Dick offered, guiding him down the hallways, “His office felt huge, just like the manor did at first. And the _view_.” Dick paused at the door, “it was like looking down from the top of the world.”_ _

__Dick pushed the door open, stood in the doorway with Vanni for a minute, expecting to find an empty office, nothing but furniture and books and his corment computer-_ _

__What they _got_ was Damian’s smirking face from where he was leaning back, in his father’s chair._ _

__“Grayson,” he said, folding his arms, and Dick chuckled._ _

__“I’m not even shocked. Your dad said you were running about somewhere. Of course you took up in his _throne_.”_ _

__Damian licked his lips- gave this playful sort of honest smile that Vanni couldn’t help but stare at. He was looking at Dick with a sort of reverence, like Dick was a god that had just walked into the room-_ _

__“As is my right,” he said, before glancing at Vanni- and the expression changed, softened slightly. He gave a nod, and Vanni lifted one hand, offered the smallest of waves._ _

__Dick rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, little D.” He turned to Vanni, rubbing the space between his shoulders. “Think you can keep an eye on the little demon here? I bet I can go find us something to snack on. I was _always_ good at finding the snacks here.”_ _

__“You are lucky it never showed,” Damian said, “With that ridiculous first couple _suits_ of yours.”_ _

__“Listen, the first Nightwing suit was _stylish_ in its day,” Dick retorted, staring at Damian- who smirked, this snake-like, devil smile that Vanni _liked_ in the strangest of ways._ _

__“No one ever liked the _disco suit_ Grayson. They simply were afraid to hurt your feelings.”_ _

__Dick flipped Damian off, all while blatantly holding in his laughter. “You’re not getting anything now,” he said, before leaning over, kissing Vanni’s temple, and taking the single step back out of the room. The door clicked shut, and for a moment Vanni didn’t move, simply stared at Damian across the large room._ _

__Damian returned it, before he lifted his arms, folded them behind his head, looked relaxed enough to fall asleep. “Father told me you were being fed to the vultures today. I see you survived.” Vanni inclined his head- could only _assume_ Damian meant by _vultures_ the sea of faces and their raging questions and the deafening _click_ of their camera shutters._ _

__Damian glanced at the desk, before he dragged his eyes back to Vanni, and jerked his head, ever so slightly. Vanni took the hint, crossed the room, walking around the very large desk and hoisting himself up onto it. He scooted back, let his legs dangle off the side, as Damian turned his head, chose to stare at the ceiling._ _

__“They’re wretched,” Damian offered, “the media, _the paparazzi_. This city feeds on the filthiest of lies, for entertainment. But I guess that’s people in general.” He glanced at Vanni, through the corner of his eyes. “Do not let them get to you. They are going to say horrid things. Don’t believe them.”_ _

__Vanni licked his lips, opened his mouth to speak- but it felt hard, everything felt like it was heavy on him, and he was focusing on _breathing_. He moved his hands, asking _what they would say?_ before he remembered Damian couldn’t understand._ _

__He chose to simply hang his head instead, because he suddenly _couldn’t_ talk._ _

__Damian frowned, pushing himself up, turning the chair so he faced Vanni. He leaned forward, reached out and grasped at his knees, leaning in so he was peering up at Vanni, so he was forced to look at Damian._ _

__“Did they say something to you already?” He asked. “Because I am very good at removing tongues from busy mouths.”_ _

__Vanni shouldn’t have smiled- he _shouldn’t_ have- but there was this strange comfort in the morbid idea. Maybe it was the way the corners of Damian’s mouth were slightly curved. Maybe it was the dancing light in his eyes._ _

__Maybe it was the idea that- if Damian was being honest, than it was a skill they both had in common._ _

__Damian gave a bigger smile once Vanni did, and leaned back onto his chair again. “Better. I like when you smile.” Vanni lifted his head, caught the slightest hint of color to Damian’s cheeks as the other teen quickly added, “I mean, you look less ominous. You could have a pretty terrible stare, I bet. I… I mean… not that you’re _scary_...” Damian trailed off, huffed, _flustered_ , and Vanni laughed. Tipped his head back and let all the stress out in a burst of sound from his lungs that felt so good he could have been dizzy._ _

__When Vanni lifted his head, Damian was watching him, bemused little smile, and Vanni stoke his tongue out, pointing to it, before he clamped his teeth down on it, as if severing it, and pointed to himself._ _

__“You can cut out tongues too?” Damian asked, and Vanni nodded. “I would not doubt it. I know what you are.” Vanni’s smile slipped away- but then Damian was shaking his head. “I mean, what you _were_.”_ _

__Vanni sucked on his tongue- and was it really a past tense sort of thing? Could he _find_ the idea- no, the _memory_ of a tongue being plucked from a bloody screaming mouth _funny_ and really think he had put any space between what he was- and what he hoped to be?_ _

__What he saw as the true gray son?_ _

__“I’m… sorry,” Damian said, “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant what you were. It is just… some things, they don’t ever leave you. Your memories of _doing it_. Of enjoying it. Your body, it always remembers.” He lifted his hand, seemed to be studying it, and Vanni inclined his head, studying it as well. Wished he was closer, still wanted to see the lines of his fingerprints. Damian flexed his hand, curled it into a fist. “The fact that you don’t follow those memories- that is what sets you apart.”_ _

__Vanni inhaled slowly, whispered in a squeak, “ _big words_ ,” and felt a sliver of relief, for the pressure in his chest, by being able to communicate. Damian gave a little bit of a sad smile._ _

__“I said you and I are similar. I meant it. I was raised to be something very much like you- and I chose something else. With… _help_.” Damian swallowed. “With my family. Admittedly, a lot of that help came from Grayson. But _don’t tell him I said that_.” Damian crossed his arms. “I cannot handle him when he is sentimental and overly emotional. It is _draining_.”_ _

__It was a lie. Vanni saw it, in the twitch of Damian’s lips, the flicker of his eyes, away. It was a lie and something about that made Vanni smile, because this boy was not some sort of jade pillar like he continued to try and portray. He was piecing it together, slowly._ _

__Vanni slid off the desk- and there was a moment where Damian watched him, intrigued- before Vanni climbed up onto the chair with Damian, settling in to straddle his thighs comfortably. He leaned back, sitting closer to his knees, and grabbed at one of Damian’s arms, forcing them to unfold._ _

__“What are you doing?” Damian asked, looking _startled_ by the sudden close quarters. Vanni said nothing, gave a tiny hum- a habit he was picking up from Dick and Jason- as he lifted Damian’s hand, turned it. He peered at the creases of skin, the callouses, the lines of his fingerprints- and Damian _watched_ him studying him._ _

__Then, in a voice very quiet, Damian offered, “I’ve done things, with these hands.” Vanni glanced up, over his fingers at him. “I’ve killed a lot of people.”_ _

__Vanni let go of Damian’s wrist, pressed his hand against his. It was smaller, his skin tone dark but ashen, unlike Damian’s dark golden- tan. Where Damian had a small scar by his thumb, Vanni had the hint of dark veins, weaving up from his wrist, along his palm._ _

__“So have I,” Vanni offered- and this weight, that lifted off his chest, this was _different_. This was something that had settled far between his ribs, had been slowly coming loose, with Jason and Cassandra’s confessions- but had needed another pull, a harder push-_ _

__Had sound so much _common soul_ with Damian that the old anger, the agony, had uprooted from him._ _

__Damian smiled, softly, and Vanni, feeling clear, feeling _okay_ , returned it._ _

__*_ _

__It had been an awkward silence that fell, when Dick took Vanni away. Jason stood, hands in his pockets, not exactly sure what to say to Bruce. When there wasn’t _business_ , it still felt strange to be purely alone with him._ _

__“Thanks for putting this together,” Jason offered, jerking his head back towards the crowds that were dissipating outside. “And helping us through it.”_ _

__“It’s the least I can do,” Bruce said, taking another glance at the crowd over Jason’s shoulder. “I know they’re like vultures. They were when you and Dick were kids, too.”_ _

__Jason snickered, gave a little half smile. “Yeah well, at least you didn’t have to hide the fact that any of us were trained assassins. We only became that when you got your hands on us.” Bruce frowned, and Jason rolled his eyes. “It’s a joke, B. I know you know what that is.”_ _

__“It wasn’t a very amusing joke,” Bruce said, and Jason glanced away. Maybe it had been a bit of a jab, too. But he was still feeling ill at ease, and couldn’t help but get that sickening feeling in his gut of being _watched_ while he had stood there on display. Like there had been a set of unseen eyes. “Something’s wrong,” Bruce said, and Jason realized he had looked away, stared into space for a moment. He forced himself to focus back on Bruce’s face- take in the deep line of his frown._ _

__“Shouldn’t frown so hard,” Jason said, “really draws out the lines in your face. You won’t get any ladies like that.” Bruce’s scowl only deepened, and Jason huffed. “That was another _joke_.”_ _

__“Jason-”_ _

__“Yeah, alright. Something’s weird. And it makes me sound crazy. But… I guess I keep getting the feeling that something is _watching_.” He sucked on his lip for a moment. “I’m not even sure it’s watching _me_ , exactly. But every night when I go out.” He sighed. “You taught us to trust our guts.”_ _

__Bruce’s scowl softened, and he reached out, gripped Jason’s shoulder- gave it a squeeze. “I’d say I’m impressed you listened- but you always _did_ listen.” Another squeeze, and Jason gave an almost bitter chuckle._ _

__“Thought I was the delinquent in the family?”_ _

__“Dick blew off orders just as much as you ever did,” Bruce reasoned, “We’ve been over this… but I’ll say it as many times as I need to.” And his eyes, they had gone _soft_. It made Jason hurt, deep in his gut, in the twisting sinew of his belly- because there was an ember, still burning in him, that wanted to be mad at Bruce- to hold onto all that anger-_ _

__And most of him, had simply let that fire die._ _

__“If you’re concerned,” Bruce continued, “then perhaps something _is_ wrong. The city only has you at night now- you need another set of eyes.”_ _

__“We don’t want to leave Vanni alone yet. Maybe we’re paranoid but…” Jason trailed off, shrugged._ _

__“Bring him by some night then. He’ll be fine in the Manor, Alfred’s around. Maybe I’ll let Cassandra and Damian have a night to themselves and I’ll stay home with him. I know the two of you… work well together.” He cleared his throat, and Jason knew it was more than how they complimented each other as _Red Hood_ and _Nightwing_. It was how they complimented each other just as they were-_ _

__As Jason Todd and Dick Grayson._ _

__“I’ll talk to Dick,” Jason said, “and we’ll get back to you on that. It’s not a _bad_ idea.” Bruce offered up a smile._ _

__“Sometimes I do have a good idea or two.” Jason nearly smiled too, but he broke it off when he heard Dick suddenly saying,_ _

__“Bruce, if I were some sort of sugar-filled kid friendly snack, where would I be hiding?” He paused, both Bruce and Jason staring at him, taking in the fact that they were _smiling_ together, that Bruce had his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “Uh, I can come back.”_ _

__Jason rolled his eyes, pulling back, as Bruce folded his arms. “You get a sweet tooth already wonder boy?” Jason asked, and Dick laughed, that gorgeous carefree kind that always lit up his eyes. He walked over, slung his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders._ _

__“I was hoping to feed the kiddos.”_ _

__“Multiple?” Jason asked. “Dick, we’re going to have to talk about this if you’re bringing more kids home- you’re turning into Bruce.”_ _

__Dick playfully smacked the back of Jason’s head, rolling his eyes. Meanwhile, Bruce was actually _chuckling_. “You’re such an ass,” he teased, ruffling Jason’s hair now. “And I found Damian in Bruce’s office, so _that’s_ the other kid.”_ _

__“And you just left them up there?” Jason asked. Dick shrugged a shoulder._ _

__“They seemed okay. Besides, you’re the one that told me the kid was _blushing_ when you talk about Damian.”_ _

__Jason caught Bruce giving them a skeptical look, before Dick was pulling away, moving over to Bruce to lean on his shoulder._ _

__“So, snacks-”_ _

__“I had one of the secretaries run out to the cafe down the street while we were giving our statements. He left everything in the little office down the hall.” Bruce jerked his thumb back, and Dick grinned, gave him a quick hug, and was off in a rush._ _

__He was barely gone, when Jason said, “You know he’s eating half of whatever you got.”_ _

__“Oh, I know,” Bruce said, “that’s why I made sure to plan as if we were feeding the entire family.”_ _

__*_ _

__Dick hummed to himself, balancing a cardboard cup holder on top of the small box. He rode the elevator back up to Bruce’s floor, heading for his office door. He managed to get the handle to turn, saying as he was pushing it open, “I hope you two left everything in one piece, I don’t want to have to put this office back together.”_ _

__The door swung open, and the joke was left hanging in the air, as Dick took in Vanni, settled in Damian’s lap, his hand pressed tight to the other boy’s. Damian was looking towards Dick, shocked- like he’d been _caught_ doing something he shouldn’t-_ _

__But Vanni, he just smiled at Dick. Smiled and pulled his hand back and waved at him._ _

__“Uh, should I have knocked?”_ _

__“ _Grayson_ ,” Damian exclaimed, and the color on the kid’s cheeks had Dick laughing._ _

__“Relax,” he said, crossing the room and setting everything on Bruce’s desk. “I know better than to ever think anything is what it _looks_ like with you.” He glanced back at Vanni. “Is he behaving?”_ _

__Vanni nodded, as Dick plucked three cups from the cup holder, setting them on the desk and then flipping open the box._ _

__“Bruce thought ahead and got us food,” he said, “that’s hot chocolate for both of you, and we’ve got cookies form the cafe down the street.”_ _

__“For us or for _you_?” Damian asked, as Vanni climbed off him, peering over the desk, near-black eyes dancing over each ornately frosted cookie._ _

__“Both,” Dick reasoned with a grin, “I promise I’ll keep Jason at bay if you ruin your appetite for dinner,” he added, glancing at Vanni, who utterly _grinned_. He reached in, picked up a large round cookie, frosted in various pinks and creams, as Damian rolled the chair closer, peering around him. And Dick _knew_ no matter what he said, he was absolutely interested in ruining his appetite for dinner too._ _

__Damian hadn’t even picked anything up, however, before Vanni was simply falling back, settling into his lap like Damian was part of the chair. Damian gave a surprised little grunt, and Dick took a moment to just _stare_ , a part of him waiting for the retaliation-_ _

__All Damian did was settle his chin on Vanni’s shoulder, still looking over the array of cookies as if this was a very _big_ decision. Vanni didn’t seem phased at all, taking a bite of the cookie, eyes lighting up._ _

__“So… everything is good with you two now?” Dick asked, because he didn’t know what to even _say_ to this. He was realizing that Vanni was, once comfortable, very physically affectionate- and he was so _glad_ for it, because he knew the kid hadn’t even known what affection was, before he and Jason._ _

__But Damian… he knew Damian _liked_ it, but he was always so reputilant about it. Always acted as if he didn’t- and yet he wasn’t even bothering now._ _

__“You took the one I wanted,” he finally said, and Vanni’s eyes glanced over at him, before he effortlessly snapped the cookie in half, held part back. Damian took it- _laughed_ over it- before taking a bite, as Vanni held his own piece between his teeth and leaned over, reaching for one of the cups._ _

__Dick snatched up his own hot chocolate, as Damian awkwardly held his cookie half in one hand, reaching around Vanni for his own cup._ _

__“We could have had coffee,” he lamented, and Dick rolled his eyes._ _

__“You’re _fifteen_ , drink the damn hot chocolate and be happy.” At the mention of coffee, Vanni’s face scrunched up in disgust, and Dick laughed. “See? He hates it. Thus it’s not happening.”_ _

__“Oh, so he makes all your decisions for you now?” Damian teased, and- Dick almost choked, trying to take a sip- Vanni leaned back, kicked one leg out to help keep them from sliding backwards, by hooking it up under the desk, and back, right against Damian-_ _

__Who didn’t seem to care._ _

__“Only the important ones,” Dick managed, before shaking his head gently. “I’m uh, just gonna go… check on Jay and your dad again. They were getting along, and we know that can’t last forever.” He took a single step backward as Damian nodded. “I think we’re probably going soon, so don’t get too comfortable.”_ _

__Vanni frowned, and Damian rolled his eyes. “Your _kid_ is trying to crush my ribs into my lungs,” he offered, “how could I be _comfortable_?”_ _

__Vanni giggled over that, leaned back harder until Damian grunted again- and it was playful, it was teasing, and Dick honestly couldn’t believe he was seeing it. Couldn’t comprehend that this was Damian, this was _his Damian_ , so at ease with anyone else his age. Anyone at all. He’d only ever seen him this comfortable around Colin, perhaps Maya- but those had taken time._ _

__And just the other day, he’d been rolling around the damn dining room floor throwing punches at Vanni._ _

__Dick turned, heading back towards the door, thinking as he made his way back downstairs that there really was something infectious, about Vanni. Something that drew the good out of you- like he just made you want to smile._ _

__He was smiling to himself, thinking about it- and wondering if maybe the two could really be _good_ for each other._ _

__*_ _

__Jason rolled his neck, watching the street from a lower rooftop. His bike was stashed in an alley one block over, as he gave the slumbering city a quick run through. He was hoping for a quick night, hoping to get home before it was so early in the morning he wondered why he even was going to sleep. He wasn’t sure if he felt more at ease, knowing that even _Bruce_ didn’t think he was crazy-_ _

__Or less, because if he wasn’t, than there was definitely a problem._ _

__Jason narrowed his eyes behind his helmet, watched the silent streets. Something didn’t feel right again, there, in his gut- something like-_ _

__Jason was turning on his heel before he let his thoughts end, getting his arm up just as a rush of movement brought metal down towards him. It cut through his jacket, snagged on his gauntlet- broke through and cut into his arm, but lost most of its momentum. Jason bit back a hiss, shoved at the figure in front of him so it was forced to tumble back a step, and he could get a good look-_ _

___No_._ _

__He knew that vestment, knew the body stance and those brass rimmed goggles, pointed out at the nose. Knew the dark veins creeping up along its cheeks, from the thick scarf wrapped around its- _his_ \- mouth._ _

__A talon. A goddamn _talon_ , and just like that Jason’s heart was in the pit of his belly, and the worst- it was real. It wasn’t just some paranoid early-morning thought._ _

__He ignored the blood running from the cut in his gauntlet, tightened his fists as the talon ran at him before he could even get a word out. It was _fast_ , too damn fast, and he took a punch to his gut that had him taking his only step back. One more, and he’d be off the damn roof. Jason gritted his teeth, dropped his shoulder and punched as hard as he could beneath the man’s ribs, watched him stumble back a step. Enough time for Jason to get in a good kick, shove him to the ground, and then drop down on him, trying to pin him. Hr grasped at the man’s wrists, held them down- but his hips thrust up, as he twisted his body, and Jason lost one wrist._ _

__Long enough for that gloves hand to reach up, grasp at the side of his neck and squeeze. Jason’s air cut off and he choked, reached up with his free hand to grab at the man’s wrist, squeezing so damn hard he could feel bones grinding together-_ _

__But that hold didn’t give._ _

__He let go with his other hand to reach up, tear at the man’s arm as he straightened up- tore it from his throat and sucked in a warm breath in his helmet. The air felt stale suddenly but it was better than none at all, as his head was still swimming._ _

__He was shoved off the talon, down to the rooftop before he could recover, on his chest and belly. The talon moved atop him, with a speed he had _seen_ before, in Vanni when he moved about their gym, when he vaulted over the back of the couch or scaled the counter to get up to the top of the fridge. The talon squeezed his thighs against Jason, grabbed the back of his head in both hands, and smashed him down, into the pavement._ _

__Jason’s head spun, and with the second hit, he heard his helmet cracking. He gave a shudder, before another _smack_ and the cracks grew. Tasting blood from where he’d bit his own tongue, Jason pressed his palms into the pavement and shouted, pushing himself up, lurching the talon off his back to spill down on the rooftop. Jason got up, staggered a step, two- reaching for his helmet and tore it off, dropping it to the rooftop._ _

__He couldn’t see straight- everything was spinning and his head felt like it had been rolled under a damn truck, but he was reaching for his gun despite it all, turning and raising it, firing off a shot at the wavering shape of the talon. He heard an inhuman like _screech_ , watched it’s shoulder jerk back-_ _

__Shoulder wounds were a favorite of his. They could bleed out quickly, they hurt like a _bitch_ \- but they were easy to patch up, if he wanted to._ _

__In that moment, he didn’t really want to, though._ _

__He growled, fired off at the other shoulder- skimmed it, got higher than he wanted. And _dammit_ he hated when he missed._ _

__The talon rushed back at him, despite the wound, knocked the run from his hands and got the heel of his hand under Jason’s chin. His teeth clacked together, and Jason wasn’t sure he could take much more pain in his head, but he grabbed the talon’s arm and brought it down, lifting his knee up to meet it- _heard_ the bone snapping. The talon stumbled back, another screech, as Jason grabbed at his scarf, tugging-_ _

__Ripped it away and simply _stared_._ _

__“Fuckin’ shit,” he muttered, getting a look at the ruined mouth it exposed. Lips that were cracked, flaking, yellowed teeth. The talon’s skin looked soft, in a sponge-like way- puckers where it seemed to indent._ _

__His stomach flipped. But he also felt it going to steel- because if this was one of those goddamn _resurrected_ talons-_ _

__That meant he could fuck the rules and play dirty, just the way he liked._ _

__Jason moved first this time, hooking an arm around the talon’s waist and spinning him, getting him pulled back against his chest. The talon squirmed, the hand of his unbroken arm digging at his chest belt- pulling out a knife and getting it into Jason’s side. Jason’s breath rushed out, but he only growled, blood from his bitten tongue on his lip, a trickle of it moving down his chin._ _

__“Fuckin’ freak,” he growled, getting his hands on the talon’s head- and twisting, as hard as he could. He heard the _crack_ as his neck snapped, and suddenly the body in his arms was limp, resting as dead weight against him. He shoved it away, let it fall in a heap to the rooftop, as he tried to catch his breath._ _

__It was exactly what he’d fear. Exactly what he had been terrified of happening- the Court had eyes on them, and they _weren’t happy_._ _

__*_ _

__Dick woke to a loud crash. He jolted up- noticed the bed was still empty next to him, and threw the blanket back, heading for his half open door. Another crash as he nearly spilled into the hallway, noticed Vanni was pulling his door open, peeking out with wide eyes._ _

__It was coming from their armory. Dick moved to it, was about to unlock the door when it was thrown open, nearly smacked right into him-_ _

__And there was Jason, bloody, pupils looking a horrid mess._ _

__“ _Jason_ ,” Dick breathed, reaching out to try and steady his boyfriend. “Fuck, what happened?”_ _

__“No time-”_ _

__“You’re _bleeding_ -”_ _

__“We have to go-”_ _

__“Jason _where are you hurt_?” Jason pushed off of Dick, glanced over at Vanni._ _

__“Get dressed,” he managed, and Vanni was hurrying away from his doorway. He turned to Dick. “That goes for you too.”_ _

__“Jesus fucking Christ Jason, we’re not going anywhere. What the hell _happened_?”_ _

__“The Court happened,” Jason said, tearing his torn jacket off, chucking it behind him into the armor. He winced- his side was still bleeding from the small blade that had dug into him. His arm had reopened. Ad his head pounded like a damn herd of elephants._ _

__Dick stared at him, eyes having gone wide, and Jason spoke through gritted teeth._ _

__“We have to _go_. I’ll explain, but on the way. We’re not safe here. They know, they know and they’re not fuckin’ _happy_ and we need to be somewhere they can’t get.”_ _

__“And where is that?” Dick asked, taking a step backwards, towards their bedroom._ _

__Jason tugged one gauntlet off, letting it fall to the floor- leaving a wet, bloody mess. Leaving pieces of his suit and armor spread all over. Everything he never did._ _

__“ _Home_.”_ _

__*_ _

__Vanni was crammed in the backseat with Jason, holding a rag against his side, trying to keep the bleeding from getting bad. It was slowing, but on the drive it had begun to soak through, and he could _smell_ it, form that wound and the one on Jason’s arm. From his mouth, even._ _

__He hadn’t seen Jason like this before- looking broken, _pissed off_. Nervous. Even Dick was tense, and Vanni didn’t like it-_ _

__Even more because this was _his fault_. Because, what he had learned as Jason spoke through gritted teeth on the drive was that he had gone toe-to-toe with a _talon_. One of those putrid, rotting types- the kind Vanni had been told he was meant to _replace_._ _

__An army of perfect clones _should_ have been superior to those half-brained monsters._ _

__Vanni only let go of the bloody rag when Dick threw the car in park, and they were all moving. Jason held it himself, crawled out of the car, Vanni following, as Dick ran ahead, unlocked the door with his own key and ran in calling for Alfred._ _

__“I’m okay,” Jason said, as Vanni kept up with his steps. He glanced up, his hair falling into his face, and Jason gave him a pained smile. “I’m gonna get patched up- don’t you worry.” Vanni wondered if it had shown on his face- but he _was_ worried-_ _

__Because nothing could happen to Jason. Not the one with the nice laugh and those pretty concrete eyes who made him feel like a damn bundle of stardust. Not his dad. _Not his dad_._ _

__And _not because of his existence_._ _

__The manor door shut heavy behind them, and Dick came hurrying back, from a hallway- one Vanni knew led to that cave, he had seen. “I think Alfred is in the cave,” he said, taking up beside Jason and pulling his uninjured arm up over his shoulders._ _

__“I’m fine,” Jason said, but leaned on his boyfriend anyway. His side ached, was like screaming fire, and was _still_ bleeding. Vanni hovered around them, feeling like he was itching out of his skin, wanting to help and having nothing he could do. Waiting for Dick to get the entrance open, making their way down the stairs, to the elevator- it was agony, _agony_._ _

__But the moment they were off it, Jason was leaning on Vanni and Dick was running off, yelling _Alfred_. The man was seated at the massive main computer, looked up in shock._ _

__“Master Dick,” he began, and from behind him, Bruce’s voice seemed to echo through the cave-_ _

__“What are you doing here?”_ _

__“Ran into some trouble,” Jason offered, as he made his way over, with Vanni’s help. Alfred was up the moment he saw him, helping to take him, even as Jason tried to wave him off. “Just could use some of your expert patching up,” Jason offered, chuckling- and it sounded pained, but the fact that he laughed at all had Vanni feeling a little better._ _

__He hung back, watched them get Jason settled down, Dick helping to peel the remaining pieces of his armor away, as Bruce tugged his cowl back. He didn’t exactly know what to do with himself, fidgeted-_ _

__Until from behind him, right into his ear, he heard a soft _boo_. Vanni jumped, spinning on the balls of his feet, shoulders going tense as he lowered himself into a more defensive position-_ _

__And found Damian, smiling at him. Damian, decked out in his full Robin costume, hands on his hips. “Got you,” he offered, and Vanni relaxed a little. He glanced past the younger boy, before asking, “What happened?”_ _

__Vanni opened his mouth to speak, before he clamped it shut again. And, from the distance, they heard Bruce, “Damian, why don’t you two go upstairs.”_ _

__Damian pursed his lips, but offered up one green gauntleted hand. Vanni glanced at it for a moment, before he took it, let Damian lead him away, back towards the elevator. He didn’t want to _leave_ Jason, but he trusted who he was with- beyond Dick._ _

__Damian didn’t speak again, until they had made their way upstairs, and he’d opened his bedroom door, let Vanni slip into the dark room. Damian flicked the light on, asked again, “What happened?”_ _

__Vanni turned, licked his lips, began signing. The only words he spoke were _Jason_ and _Talon_ , but that seemed to be enough to get Damian to frown._ _

__“Guess it was only a matter of time,” he reasoned, before he took a step closer, reached out to grasp at Vanni’s biceps. “Are you okay?”_ _

__And… no one had asked him that yet. Vanni thought on it for a moment, before he shook his head. “My fault,” he whispered, because he _existed_ and Jason and Dick had taken him in, and the Court had _followed him_ -_ _

__“Don’t say that,” Damian said, squeezing gently. “Grayson and Todd would not believe that for a second. _I don’t_.” Vanni glanced up at him- before he was moving, pushing himself up against Damian and clutching onto him, getting his fsits in his cape behind him. Damian was tense for a moment, before he hugged him back, got his arms around him and simply _held on_._ _

__He needed this, Vanni needed a moment to collect himself, to _process_ , to center himself and take in what had happened. To let his mind sort through the rubble. And feeling like he was engulfed in fire, with Damian holding him- it gave him that moment._ _

__“I can’t be a great hug right now,” Damian offered, “I mean, this suit isn’t _comfortable_ I bet. And uh, I need to shower.” Vanni glanced up, before he turned, pressed his cheek right over the hard _R_ emblem._ _

__“I like your suit,” he managed, words distorted because his cheek was pressed so tightly to Damian. “The colors.” He felt one of Damian’s hands moving along his back, and he sighed. It was so _different_ from what he had always worn- a dark versus light sort of dichotomy-_ _

__He sort of wondered if he could exist in it. If there was a part of him that could flourish, could take what had been _bred into him_ , and make it a flash of _hope_._ _

__He didn’t want to be helpless._ _

__But he _felt_ like he was._ _

__“Hey,” Damian offered- and it was spoken softly, still such a stark difference to the first spark of his voice Vanni had ever heard. He lifted his head, pulled away from the emblem on Damian’s cheek. “Take a minute. How about I clean up- and maybe after, if you can... If you want to… we can talk.” Vanni nodded, slowly released Damian, taking a step back. Damian reached up, peeled his mask off- and seeing his eyes made everything feel better._ _

__Vanni couldn’t fathom _why_._ _

__“I’ll be quick,” he said, crossing his room to one of his dressers and digging through it. One he had an armful of clothing, he slipped into his bathroom, clicking the door shut- and Vanni stood motionless for a moment, looking around._ _

__He still felt agitated- wanted to find a way back into the cave, to see Jason and make sure he was okay. But he didn’t know how they had made that clock move- so, resigned that he wouldn’t be going anywhere, he walked over to Damian’s desk. There were books there, and despite not being able to make sense of the writing, Vanni flipped through one, before opening another. The letters looked different- one was blocky, while the other looked _fluent_. He remembered Damian saying one- or, Vanni assumed, _some_ \- of his books weren’t in English, and he wondered if this was the difference._ _

__He turned to the sketch book, before he lifted it up, holding it to his chest and leaving Damian’s desk, taking a walk around his room. He passed his violin, crouched down and reached out with one hand to touch the smooth wood, run his fingers along the strings. He didn’t lift it though, and was moving away from it just as quickly as he’d come to it. He paused at his large windows, slipped between the curtains to look out at the sleeping grounds around the manor. It felt a whole world, out there- with this house, at the very center._ _

__It felt like a different world, from Gotham City, from Blüdhaven- and he could see why Jason had decided this was where they needed to be. Why it seemed _safe_._ _

__He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, taking in the trees, the glint of the stars. He wondered what they looked like, if you were to just lay in the grass. If they were as clear as they seemed. He sucked on his tongue, pulled himself away and moved from the curtains, back into Damian’s room. He could hear the shower running, and stared at the bathroom door for a minute, before turning away, heading for Damian’s bed. It was far bigger than his own- he thought it was even bigger than Dick and Jason’s, and he had to toss the sketch book onto it before climbed on. The blanket felt ridiculously soft beneath his palms, and when he settled back, sitting against the pillows, he almost wanted to curl up around one. He had been woken up from a dead sleep, and the rush of anxiety left him feeling tired._ _

__He brushed the exhaustion off, settling Damian’s sketchbook on his lap. He flipped it open, found the bird he had seen the other day. He smiled at it, before flipped to the fish- and then beyond. A sketch in colored pencils of the sunset, bursts of color that made his head almost ache, but in a shockingly pleasant way. The next- a face Vanni recognized. _Alfred_. A few different angles, unfinished sketches- but the lines around his eyes and mouth, they were _perfect_._ _

__Vanni continued to flip through it- various animals, rooms in the manor, people at times- a boy with a big smile and _freckles_ that made Vanni think of the freckles that dusted Roy’s cheeks. A girl with a big smile and eyes colored in so heavy, so dark, it was as if she drank the world through them._ _

__And then suddenly, an owl. Big, round eyes, black and shining, the texture of the feathers seeming perfect. It was small, or it _seemed_ small, as far as Vanni could tell._ _

__He never heard the water turn off, or a few minutes later the bathroom door open. He’d been too wrapped up in faces that seemed so alive, and then this small owl. His fingers flexed on the paper, touching the edges but never the pencil lines, as Damian studied him across the room, before piping up,_ _

__“I see you got comfortable.”_ _

__Vanni lifted his head, stared at him for a moment, before he turned, was about to climb off. But Damian shook his head, crossed the room in quick steps and hoisted himself up onto the bed, to sit right next to him._ _

__“I didn’t say move,” he said, glancing down at the sketch book- and color rising in his cheeks. Vanni settled back against the pillows, looking back down at the owl. “Do you like it?”_ _

__Vanni nodded. “It’s small,” he whispered, and time had given him his voice again- albeit still that quiet squeak._ _

__“Well, you’re small,” Damian reasoned, and Vanni glanced at him. He quickly added, “Not that I was thinking of you or anything. I… I just…” he stammered, his cheeks tinged darker, and he looked away, puffing his cheeks out a little. Vanni giggled- and a _laugh_ was the last sound he expected to make tonight. His chest felt tight, this strange giddiness rising up in him, and he leaned over, pressed a quick kiss to Damian’s cheek. Damian turned, reached up to rub his cheek. “What was _that_ for?”_ _

__Vanni only shrugged a shoulder, before he asked, “Bad?” He wanted to ask if Damian didn’t like it, if Damian wanted him to stop, if Damian wanted him to go- all these questions, but the most he could manage was the single word._ _

__Damian shook his head, perhaps too quickly. He hesitated a minute, before leaning over, quickly kissing Vanni’s cheek as well, before pulling back._ _

__“It’s not bad,” he said, before he reached for his sketch book, taking it and settling it in his own lap. Vanni smiled, felt like he wanted to fidget, like he wanted to kiss Damian again, but resisted, as Damian flipped through the book himself. It opened to the boy with the smile and freckles again, and Vanni pointed to him. “This is Colin,” Damian said, “he’s… my friend.”_ _

__Vanni pointed to his own cheeks. “Like Roy,” he said, and Damian furrowed his brow._ _

__“Roy? … _Oh_ , Harper. Freckles. Yes, Colin has freckles. _All over_.” He grinned, this toothy sort of smile, and Vanni wasn’t sure he’d _seen_ Damian smile that big before. “He connected them before with a _Sharpie_. It took days to wash off his arms. Idiot.” He snorted, laughing to himself over the memory, before he flipped the page- and the girl with the dark eyes again. “And this is Maya… my other friend.” Damian hummed for a moment, before he said, “I’ve got… two.”_ _

__Vanni frowned, before he shifted, got up on his knees and turned to face Damian, pointing to himself, and then to Damian. “Friends,” he said, nodding, and Damian cracked another smile._ _

__“Three,” he corrected, and Vanni leaned over, wrapped his arms around Damian’s shoulders. He settled his cheek on his shoulder, squeezing affectionately, before he yawned- and the fatigue, it was setting in again. “You’re tired,” Damian said, closing his sketch book, leaning away to set it on his nightstand. Vanni continued to hold onto him, stretching with him. Vanni mumbled _no_ , but Damian only chuckled. “You _sound_ tired.”_ _

__“Jason,” Vanni whispered, “Can’t sleep.” He took a deep breath. “Can’t sleep without seeing dad.”_ _

__Damian shifted, shrugging until Vanni finally let go of him, pulling back. “Pennyworth will take good care of him,” he offered, “he takes care of all of us. And Todd… despite what I may say, is more than adequate. He looked worse for wear than he was.” Vanni glance away, but yawned again, and Damian frowned. “-tt- You are going back to sleep. They woke you up, I bet.”_ _

__Vanni nodded, before he looked around the room. “Where?” He asked, not entirely sure where he should be- this wasn’t home, there wasn’t his room or the couch or his dads’ bed-_ _

__And he felt a bit lost, as to where he should _exist_._ _

__Damian hummed for a moment, before he reached up, rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose you can just stay in here,” he said, adding quickly, “If you promise to be a better bedmate than Titus. Speaking off.” He hopped off the bed, heading for the door. He opened it, and the lumbering dog made his way in, happily heading for the bed and hopping up- albeit a bit slower than he had in his younger years. His mass made the mattress dip, shifted Vanni, who watched the large dog settle at the foot of the bed, resting his head on the mattress and studying him._ _

__“He’s actually not the worst,” Damian offered, climbing back onto the bed. “He stays right there. Colin is worse, he takes the entire damn blanket like it is _his_ bed.” Damian said it, and he _tried_ to sound annoyed, but Vanni didn’t believe him. There was a smile hidden on his lips, each time he mentioned this boy, one that reflected in his pretty eyes. Damian reached down, scratched Titus behind his ear. “You can pet him,” he offered, “he’s a good dog.”_ _

__Titus’s tail thumped at that, as he gave a tiny whine. Vanni hesitated for a moment- because the dog was _huge_ and the only time he had seen an animal like this were the hounds that sometimes accompanied heads of the Court- those dark animals with their glowering eyes and sharp teeth that seemed to _radiate_._ _

__He reached out slowly, held his hand out in front of the dog. Titus lifted his head, sniffed it, before nosing at Vanni’s palm. Vanni smiled, rubbed the top of his head, and Titus made a happy little sound, before settling his head back down again. “See?” Damian asked, and Vanni nodded. Damian left him to continue petting the dog, crawling back up toward the head of the bed and tugging his blanket back. He hopped off the bed after he did, heading back towards the door, flicking the light off without warning. The room flooded in darkness, and Vanni pulled his hand back, watched Damian’s inky shape as he made his way back to the bed, crawling on and sliding his legs beneath the blanket._ _

__“Coming?” Damian asked. “Or are you sleeping down there with Titus.”_ _

__Vanni turned, crawled up the bed and slid beneath the blanket. Damian flopped back down into the pillows, sighing, as Vanni settled in slower, staring up at the black ceiling._ _

__He’d never been in a bed with anyone besides Dick and Jason before. But he could feel how warm Damian was, just a few inches away- and he turned onto his side, reaching out to brushing his fingers along Damian’s arm. Wanted to touch- wanted something solid, wanted some contact._ _

__What he wanted was to see his _dads_._ _

__Damian looked over at him, before he sighed. “-tt- Come here,” he said, lifting his arm. Vanni slid into the space it created, flush to Damian’s side, wrapping an arm over his waist as he settled his cheek near the juncture of his shoulder and torso._ _

__“This is,” Vanni started, taking a breath, “my fault.” Damian’s arm pressed against his back, and Vanni could feel the warmth through his tshirt. “The Court. They came for _me_.”_ _

__“It took them long enough,” Damian said, “maybe they did not. We have had trouble with them before.”_ _

__Vanni shook his head. “I was quiet,” he said, “they thought I was dead I bet. Failed.” He closed his eyes, and it was so much to say, so many words to force his tongue to craft. “They know I’m not. They need to finish the job.”_ _

__“Kill you?” Damian asked, and Vanni shrugged a shoulder._ _

__“I didn’t become the gray son. I failed. No other option.” He rubbed his cheek against Damian’s- a mingle of skin and the ribbed, soft cotton of his tank top. Vanni liked his skin more._ _

__“Just because you didn’t become what someone else wanted, doesn’t mean you have failed,” Damian offered, giving Vanni a squeeze. “I am not what I was born to be- my mother created me to be the next _Alexander_. She wanted me to take the world. I chose to wear bright colors and parade around a city at night in the hopes of doing some good.” Damian sighed. “I have done a lot of bad. I have a lot I’ve tried to atone for- but for _choosing_ my own path? That, I’m not sorry for.” He turned, as Vanni lifted his head, stared at him in the dark. “You shouldn’t be, either.”_ _

__He reached over as Damian pushed himself up, let go of Vanni’s back to support himself on his elbow. His other hand reached over his body, gripped Vanni’s chin, held him steady._ _

__“You did not ask for life,” Damian offered, “neither did I. But we have it- and it is _ours_. You are not on a determined path, and you never will be. You make your own choices, depending on what _you_ want.” He inhaled, slowly. “If my family has taught me anything- it is that. That,” he leaned a little closer, “and what it is like to be loved, for who and what you are.”_ _

__Vanni swallowed thickly, was staring right at Damian. Felt like his insides were combusting into this strange molten sort of heat- felt like he could _believe_ what he was saying-_ _

__Dick and Jason loved him, he knew that. And he loved them- and everyone else, they looked at him like he mattered. Like he was a part of something._ _

__He nodded, and Damian released his chin, moved his hand along his jaw to cup his cheek. “Say it for me,” he whispered. “Tell me you deserve your life. Your choices.”_ _

__Vanni sucked on his tongue. He wanted to turn, to nuzzle Damian’s warm palm. The words stuck in his throat- and he needed that heat, that fire, to combat the memory of ice and water and _drowning_ “I,” he whispered, “I deserve…” he trailed off, exhaled, felt like ice shards were in his throat. His hands itched to move, and he wanted to sign it- but Damian wouldn’t _understand_. “I deserve my life,” he managed, before he paused, inhaled. Exhaled._ _

__“Good,” Damian whispered, thumb stroking his cheek bone. “And?”_ _

__“And… and… _and my choices_.”_ _

__Damian smiled at him, leaned up, pressed his warm lips to Vanni’s forehead. “You also deserve some sleep,” he added, smiling, before he pulled back, flopped back down onto his back. Vanni lowered himself back down, into his spot against Damian, and the older boy turned onto his side, got both arms around him, as Vanni tucked his head beneath his chin._ _

__He wasn’t dwarfed, the way he was when Dick and Jason held him. Damian was bigger than him, enough that he was encased- but more his size, so that he could get his arms around him as well, clutch and cling and _hold tight_ to a heat that chased away all memories, for the moment, of freezing water and the inability to breathe._ _

__*_ _

__“You’re sure,” Bruce said, as Alfred worked the stitches into Jason’s skin, “that it was a talon?”_ _

__“Oh, _trust me_ ,” Jason said, grinding his teeth a little as Alfred worked on the wound at his side first. “Yellow teeth and that pox like skin and just… _putrid_. Right outta a horror movie. The zombie apocalypse type. His body’s on a rooftop if you want it- but I imagine he’d been cleaned up already.” Jason flinched at a particularly deep stitch. “The Court’s efficient.”_ _

__“It took them long enough to make a move,” Dick offered, sitting backwards in one of the chairs, leaning against the back. “Vanni’s been with us a while. I expected something before this. I… I almost thought we were safe.” He hated to admit it, but his guard _had_ gone down. He’d believed for a moment that everything was _alright_ \- almost like he had something resembling a normal life. A sweet boyfriend, a cute kid- a home with them both._ _

__“The media,” Bruce said, watching like Dick was, as Alfred cut his needle free and bandaged Jason’s side. “That spurred them on, I would imagine. They may have simply assumed Vanni dead or lost- but if the world is taking notice of him, I would think they want their property back.”_ _

__“He’s not something to be _owned_ ,” Jason growled, snapping his head to meet Bruce’s eyes as Alfred began work on his forearm. “He’s a _person_.”_ _

__“We know that- but that is not how they see him.” Bruce folded his hands together. “We know the Court, we know how they operate. We’ve been through this before- we have something of theirs, and they want it back. Simple as that.”_ _

__“You’re thinking something,” Dick said, and Bruce glanced at him._ _

__“So, we hit them, before they hit us.”_ _

__“ _How_?” Jason moved, was scolded quickly by Alfred to keep still, and huffed. “They’re everywhere and nowhere, Bruce. We got lucky before- they got desperate. You got in too close. This time around, we’ve got nothing.”_ _

__“No,” Bruce corrected, “no, we have something. We have our own map.”_ _

__There was silence for a moment, before Jason said flatly, “No.” He shook his head. “No, no, _hell no_. We are not dragging Vanni into this. No way in fuckin’ _hell_.”_ _

__“Language, Master Jason,” Alfred chided, finishing another stitch before cutting his needle free. He began to wrap his arm._ _

__“He’s our key,” Bruce said, “you’ve known he was, all along.”_ _

__“And that was why we kept him to ourselves,” Dick admitted, “so that he wouldn’t _have to do this_. We don’t want to put him in danger, Bruce.”_ _

__“He already is.” Bruce stood up, moving for the computer. He brought it to life, bringing up a map of Gotham, as Alfred tried to examine Jason’s eyes, tried to gauge his head injury. “He spent fourteen years with the Court. We know he wasn’t kept under lock and key that whole time- or he never would have found his way to you, Dick.” Bruce turned, the map glowing behind him. “He’s going to know places. Places we can _hit_.”_ _

__“I will not endanger my son,” Jason said, standing up, forcing Alfred to take a step back. “I brought him here to keep him _safe_.”_ _

__“He’s a _talon_ ,” Bruce growled, “and if you think he needs you to protect him, you’re _delusional_. Just like Damian never needed us to protect him. You’ve got a trained assassin, and you won’t let him _breathe_.”_ _

__Jason tightened his fists, and Dick stood up, shoving his chair away and moving over to his boyfriend, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder, near his neck._ _

__“Hey, hey,” he whispered, “ease up Jaybird.” Jason gritted his teeth, but forced his shoulders to relax. “Bruce, we love this kid. We don’t want to lose him.”_ _

__“I loved the both of you,” Bruce offered, “and I took you both with me.”_ _

__“Look where it got me,” Jason mumbled, and Dick squeezed until it _hurt_ and Jason was hissing._ _

__“We’re not doing this now,” Dick said, “ _the both of you_. You can fight later, for all the fucks I give. Right now, we have to think this through.” He paused, exhaled. “And dammit, I don’t want to admit it, but… maybe we need to hear Bruce out.” As much as it hurt to say- because he wanted nothing more than to _shield_ Vanni from this._ _

__But Bruce had a point. A _valid_ point. He wasn’t a defenseless child- and he was their only weapon against the Court. Their only current source of knowledge. The only way to get the higher ground._ _

__“We can’t make the decision for him,” Dick finally said, “All we can do is _ask_ , and entertain what it means if he wants to do this.”_ _

__“If we don’t act, the Court will not relent,” Bruce added, “They will be a thorn in our sides until this is dealt with. _Properly_.”_ _

__“Properly would be a few bullets in a few skulls,” Jason said, “but you don’t like when I play dirty.” Jason shook his head. “I don’t like it- but I agree, we can’t make a decision for the kid. This is his life- and if we just control him, we’re not better than them.” He stared at Bruce and Dick, adding, “but I’m not _happy_ about this.”_ _

__“This is war,” Bruce said, “No one is happy, Jason. But if we don’t do something, it won’t matter, because we won’t be _alive_ to realize how much we despise it.”_ _

__Jason glanced away, reaching up to hold his forehead. “Can we discuss it further in the morning?” He asked. “My head is throbbing. I want to pass out.”_ _

__“His reflexes appear fine,” Alfred offered, “his pupils are no longer dilated. I would chance it is safe enough for Master Jason to get some sleep.” Bruce nodded._ _

__“Fine. In the morning. You will be staying the night then.” It wasn’t a question- but Dick was almost glad for it. Because he had _no_ intention of leaving yet. The manor was a damn fortress, and really the only place he could think where they could get some safety._ _

__He reached for Jason’s hand, but his boyfriend pulled away, kept to himself. Dick hated when he did that- but he could tackle that, in a few minutes. When they were alone. Saying something now, it could be _explosive_. Jason was like napalm when Bruce got him going- and Bruce was just like burning gasoline._ _

__Dick knew they still _loved_ each other, and he had even seen it, earlier. But they were so easy to flip with each other._ _

__Jason took off, towards the elevator, and Dick followed, giving Alfred a nod, leaving him with Bruce. Jason said nothing for the ride up, nor as Dick moved in front of them and they headed up the stairs. “My room,” Dick offered, “I’m going to try and find our little owl.”_ _

__“Damian hopefully knows where he is,” Jason said, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He looked exhausted, looked older than he was- and that made Dick hurt a bit. He nodded though, rubbed at Jason’s shoulder- and this time, his boyfriend let him touch him. Jason turned, heading down the hallway, as Dick moved in the opposite direction, towards Damian’s room._ _

__He paused at the door, noticing there was no light coming from beneath the door. He considered that maybe he had been wrong, maybe he was elsewhere in the manor- but the main level ha seemed like a ghost town._ _

__Granted, it was so huge he could be _anywhere_._ _

__Still, Dick leaned up against the door. He didn’t knock, simply opened it, whispering, “Damian? You up?” He peeked in, through the dark noticed that Titus perked his ears up, lifted his head to look over at him. He took a single step in, craning his neck to look at the bed-_ _

__And there was Damian alright, fast asleep- with Vanni, curled into him. They were nearly cocooned in the blankets, Damian chin settled on the top of Vanni’s head. Dick simply stared for a moment, before he took his single step back, out of the room and into the hallway. He tugged the door shut, turning and moving down the hallway, towards his old room. He didn’t bother with the light, which Jason hadn’t turned on either, when he stepped in. He shut the door- didn’t hear it click but didn’t even notice, as he headed for the bed, found Jason stripped down to his underwear and settled onto his back._ _

__“Find him?” Jason asked, as Dick tugged his shirt off._ _

__“Yeah. You won’t believe it.” He popped the button of the jeans he’d thrown on, after Jason had appeared earlier. He shucked them down, crawled into the bed. “He’s asleep.”_ _

__“And that’s shocking?” Jason asked, rubbing at his temples._ _

__“ _With Damian_.” Jason paused, stared at Dick in the dark. Gave him that _no shit_ look, and Dick just smiled. “I’m being serious. Snug as two bugs. Out like lights.”_ _

__“Well, I’ll be damned.” Jason let his hands fall to his sides. “At least they’re getting along. It’s good for him to have a friend.”_ _

__“ _Which one_?”_ _

__Jason smiled. “That’s _exactly_ why it’s so good.” He reached up, got his knuckles to trace Dick’s jaw. “I’m sorry.”_ _

__“For what? Giving me a heart attack and making me think you were going to bleed out on our nice floors?” He grabbed Jason’s hand, kissed it._ _

__“You know for what.”_ _

__Dick smiled, kissed his knuckles now. “Yeah, well, I also know that you and Bruce just feed off each other. I think we’re _all_ used to that. But look- we didn’t leave, and no one needed _more_ stitches. So, progress.” A kiss to his finger tips now. “Besides… I understand. I don’t like the idea either- but we have to consider if we don’t do something, we’re never going to be rid of the Court. They’re going to keep coming after us, unless we prove it’s not worth their while.”_ _

__Jason nodded, and Dick leaned over, kissed the bridge of his nose._ _

__“I don’t want to lose him,” Jason whispered._ _

__“We won’t,” Dick said. “Bruce was right about one thing- we can’t _forget_ that he’s a talon. He could probably damn near drop one of us. He’s capable of protecting himself. We just haven't seen much of it. Remember when he pinned you?”_ _

__Jason nodded, and Dick smiled, swung one leg over Jason and straddled him suddenly, reaching for his wrists and pinning him. Jason winced._ _

__“Watch the stitches,” he offered, and Dick spread his legs a little wider, to give Jason breathing room._ _

__“Sorry,” he mumbled, before he leaned over, kissed the corner of his mouth. “Better when I do it?”_ _

__Jason laughed, turned, stole a quick kiss. “Much,” he agreed, before Dick kissed him again, very slowly. Jason didn’t push against the loose hold on his wrists, as Dick slid against him gently, lightly grinding._ _

__“Should I make you feel a little better, before you go to sleep?” Dick teased, and Jason chuckled._ _

__“Not sure if that would be the doctor’s orders.”_ _

__“Then you’ll have to be quiet,” Dick whispered, “so no one hears.” Jason hummed, and despite the ache in his head, that he was tired in his bones- there was a never ending _allure_ in what Dick always offered him-_ _

__And he always slept better, whenever Dick was done with him._ _

__He was losing himself in the kiss, the way Dick was grinding softly against him, loved the little noises Dick was making. Neither of them heard the door, which had never clicked shut before- or the sudden rush of feet across the room, until it was too late to react, and the bed was dipping as an inky shadow hopped onto it, curled an arm right around Dick’s neck and pulled back with all his body weight. Caught unaware, Dick tumbled back, crashed off Jason onto the floor-_ _

__And found very quickly that he had Vanni crawling on him, pinning him down- looking at him with wide, shocked eyes._ _

__“Vanni?” Dick whispered, wincing at the ache in his shoulders from the fall. Jason had pushed himself up, was staring down at them in the dark. “Kiddo?”_ _

__“Little wing, what are you doing?” Jason, sounding alarmed. Vanni looked back at him, and his eyes were so _confused_ and something in Jason _hurt_._ _

__“Don’t hurt him,” Vanni said, turning back to Dick. Dick stared up at Vanni, as the kid added, almost desperately, “ _you can’t hurt him_.”_ _

__“I… I wasn’t going to,” Dick said. “Vanni… honey get off me.” Vanni stared down at him, before he eased back, holding his hands up as if he was afraid of them. Dick sat up, and Vanni crawled off his lap, stood up awkwardly, looking around as if he was displaced, didn’t know where to go._ _

__Dick stood up, rubbed at one of his shoulders, rolling it and trying to keep a kink from building._ _

__“I wasn’t going to hurt Jason,” Dick said again, “Why did you think I was?”_ _

__Vanni licked his lips, eyes darting between Dick and Jason. “You…” he started, his hands fidgeting- he wasn’t signing, he looked as if he was almost in too much shock to even think of it. “You pinned him, you had him _down_.”_ _

__Dick and Jason glanced at each other, before Jason reached out, patted the bed. “C’mere junior,” Jason said, and Vanni stared at the spot, hard, for a few long moments, before crawling up onto the bed. Jason slid his arm around him. “Dick wasn’t going to hurt me. Dick was going to make me feel good.”_ _

__“ _How_?”_ _

__“Well… uh…” Jason glanced at Dick, his stare screaming _a little help_ , and Dick sat on Vanni’s other side._ _

__“I love Jason,” Dick said, “and I would never hurt him. Sometimes we…” he trailed off too, and _dammit_ this was not what the night needed, on top of everything else._ _

__He hadn’t been _ready_ for this sort of talk._ _

__“It was sex,” Jason blurted finally, “Do you know what that is?” There was a moment of pure silence, before Vanni frowned, but nodded. “Then you understand?”_ _

__He shook his head. “It doesn’t feel good,” he said, and Dick’s head snapped up at that, eyes locking with Jason’s._ _

__“Vanni-”_ _

__“Kiddo, how would you know that?” Vanni said nothing, was simply staring down at his lap._ _

__“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his shoulders almost shaking. And in his head, Damian’s words were rushing, swarming around his mind. _His life, his choices_. And yet, he had done exactly what he’d been bred for. He’d reacted with _violence_. He hadn’t been able to separate what he was seeing from what he had known. And he wanted to pull his hair out over it, because of _course_ Dick wouldn’t hurt Jason- not Jason. They loved each other. “I… I didn’t _know_.” He had a sob choked in his throat, his eyes burning. He was exhausted and aching and he simply wanted to curl up then, to _disappear_._ _

__“Hey, hey, hey,” Jason whispered, pulling Vanni into his chest, getting his arms around him and rocking him. “Shhh, it’s okay. No one is mad at you. It was a misunderstanding. Dick’s fine.” He glanced up at Dick, who nodded, reached out to rub Vanni’s back, as he hiccuped a breath._ _

__“I’m okay kiddo.” Vanni sniffled, clung to Jason tighter._ _

__“Worried,” he whispered, “about you.” He glanced up, and Jason smiled._ _

__“I’m in one piece, little wing. Live to torment your dad another day.” He flashed a bigger smile, before it began to slip away. “But Vanni, honey- this is important. Can you talk to Dick and I for a second?” Vanni forced a nod, sitting back up, reaching up to wipe at his aching eyes with the back of his hand. It came back wet, and he wanted to ignore that he was crying, wanted it to just _stop_. “Can you tell us what you mean when you say it can’t feel good?”_ _

__“It doesn’t,” was all he offered, because he didn’t have anything else to say on it. He didn’t know it as anything other than another act of violence- was having trouble reconciling it with the intimacy he saw with the subtle touches and looks he had caught his dads always giving each other. Dick fought to keep his hand from shaking over it- because what he _knew_ was being implied had his brain suddenly alert and buzzing and _so angry_ he wanted to scream._ _

__“Vanni, who made you believe that?” Vanni frowned, before pointing towards his back. “The man who did that?” Another nod, and Dick and Jason exchanged glances, unsure what to say-_ _

__And never getting the chance, when from the doorway there came a sleepy, “What is going on?” They all turned, found Damian rubbing one of his eyes, choking down a yawn._ _

__“Did we wake you up little prince?” Dick asked, and Damian nodded._ _

__“Heard Vanni get out of bed.” He seemed too tired to catch that he was alluding to the cuddling Dick had seen- or maybe he simply didn’t care. “Is everything okay?”_ _

__“Uh… yeah,” Dick said, glancing at Jason, who nodded. He looked back at Vanni. “We can talk more about this later. I bet you’re tired. Do you want to sleep with us?”_ _

__Vanni sucked on his lip, before he shook his head. Normally, he’d never turn down the invitation to be nestled between his dads- but he felt guilty, _stupid_ in his gut, and he had rather liked how it felt, to be wrapped up in Damian._ _

__Almost needed separation, space, so he could focus himself._ _

__“Do you want to sleep with Damian?” Vanni nodded then, and Dick leaned over, kissed his temple. “Okay kiddo. We’ll see you in the morning then.”_ _

__“We’re not mad,” Jason whispered, leaning in to kiss his other temple. “Okay? We love you.”_ _

__Vanni offered up a small smile over that- but Jason and Dick could both see the ache in his eyes still. “I love you too,” he managed, before sliding off the bed, heading over to Damian- who looked about ready to fall asleep standing in the doorway. Vanni reached him, took his hand, and Damian mumbled something, leading him away from the room, the door closing behind them._ _

__The moment it did, Dick and Jason’s smiles fell away. Dick crawled back to his side of the bed, flopping down on his back, keeping one arm lifted so Jason could turn, rest against his chest._ _

__“Jason?” Jason hummed, tapping his fingers against Dick’s ribs. “Tell me that didn’t just happen.”_ _

__Jason sighed. “Wish I could,” he mumbled. “We really _don’t_ know what they did to him, Dick.”_ _

__“We’ve got a pretty fucking good idea right about now.” Dick’s voice was seething, anger and agony curled tight, in his vocal cords running down to the pit of his stomach. “ _He’s a fucking kid_.”_ _

__Jason said nothing, closing his eyes. For once, he was letting Dick feel the anger. All he felt was… sadness. Was an ache, because he never wanted _anyone_ to know what their _son_ obviously did._ _

__Because it felt like, while they wanted to protect him- the worst had already been done to him. And what was there left to keep him safe from?_ _

__“We’re taking them down,” Dick said, suddenly. “All of them. Every goddamn single one.” Dick squeezed Jason, who mumbled,_ _

__“Bullets in skulls, wonder boy. I’ll sleep better at night for it.”_ _

__Dick hesitated, but when he spoke, his voice was anything _but_ unsure. “Yeah, me too,” he mumbled, squeezing Jason again- and thinking that it almost seemed worth it, to break that damn rule._ _

__To get a little _vengence_ for Vanni- because _justice be damned_ , he angry and tired and not thinking clearly, and he just wanted someone to _hurt_ , for what had been done._ _

__*_ _

__Vanni was warm, when he came too. Warmer than he was in his own bed, usually. He pushed closer, didn’t open his eyes- smelled soap and someone’s skin, and smiled because he remembered Damian’s hand in his, the night before. The other boy shifted, stretching out, before he pulled away, flopped onto his back. Vanni opened his eyes, pushed himself up, stared out from a curtain a dark hair at Damian, who was blinking, staring at the ceiling. Trying to wake up._ _

__“Morning,” Damian offered, around a yawn, and Vanni inhaled slowly._ _

__“Morning,” he mumbled, and Damian glanced at him._ _

__“Did you sleep okay?” Vanni shrugged a shoulder. He _had_ , because Damian was warm, his bed was comfortable- there was something secure about this room. But it would have been so much better, had he not- _ _

__He cut off when Damian sat up, reached out to brush his hair back, out of Vanni’s face._ _

__“What happened last night?” He asked, and Vanni shrugged a shoulder._ _

__“Mistake,” he offered, because it was _true_. He had made a mistake, had thought Dick was hurting Jason- which, to his rested mind, made _no sense_. He knew Dick loved Jason. He knew he wouldn’t hurt him. But still half asleep, still anxious and stressed- anything had seemed possible._ _

__And the only memories Vanni ever had of holding someone down like that were _violence_. Equating it to something _good_ felt strange. The only good it had ever brought was a head rush, a weird sort of buzzing in his body from the adrenaline- a quickening of his breath that had him writhing around, wanting to get out of his skin._ _

__“What kind of mistake?” Damian had settled back, was just sitting there _looking_ at him- and Vanni squirmed, fidgeted. He liked those eyes, but he didn’t know what to do with himself when they just _looked_._ _

__“Thought… thought Dick was hurting Jason,” he offered, and Damian furrowed his brow._ _

__“Why?”_ _

__Vanni shrugged again. “Had him pinned,” he whispered, and Damian’s eyes lit up for a moment, going a little wide._ _

__“... _Oh_.” He seemed to get it, and Vanni reached up, scrubbed both his hands up over his face, let his fingers sink back into his hair, tugging on it. There was a gentle spark at his scalp._ _

__“Stupid. _Stupid_ ,” he muttered, until Damian was reaching forward, for his hands._ _

__“Hey, _hey_. Stop.” He grasped at his hands, was up on his knees now, above Vanni. He kept Vanni’s hands from pulling at his hair more, his fingers now with locks twisted around them. “You made a mistake. We all do.” It sounded a little forced, a little pained, to admit that. For a moment, Vanni wondered about Damian’s mistakes-_ _

__But there’d be other times, to ask. With the way Damian was looking at him, like maybe for a moment there was nothing _outside_ of Vanni, he didn’t think he would get an answer, if he asked._ _

__“I would’ve just gagged and walked out,” Damian offered, cracking a _smile_. “No one needs to see Todd and Grayson getting intimate.” Vanni didn’t return the smile, just blurted,_ _

__“Dick said it was good. I don’t understand.” Damian’s smile fell away then. “It never was.”_ _

__“You…” Damian trailed off, slumped back towards his heels. He licked his lips, seemed to be calculating his words. But all he managed was, “What happened to you?” In a shocked, cracked sort of voice. The kind that didn’t hide his emotions, like his normal controlled voice might have. The kind that was _readable_ and echoed the same sort of discomfort- filled fear Dick an Jason’s voices had hosted, earlier._ _

__Vanni shrugged, shook his head. Had vague memories of being pinned down, of words breathed into his ear, of hot, rancid breath that made his stomach heave. Of nothing that felt good, that felt like _intimacy_ , only something like the feeling of the whip, he knew on his back. Of that sort of shamed pain that was all _wrong_ , and yet he couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t act out against the man who handled the talons and who hissed that he was an _ugly-pretty_ sort of thing, when Vanni hadn’t met expectations and it seemed like breaking his skin wasn’t enough. Wasn’t enough punishment._ _

__And how could a punishment be intimacy? All it was, in the end, was more violence._ _

__He shook his head then, and Damian let his hands fall down, cup his cheeks. His thumbs traced his cheek bones, made Vanni’s stomach do this fluttering sort of thing. “If you want to talk,” he offered, “you can. To me. To Todd or Grayson. And if you do not want to, I am sure we all understand.” His smile was soft, still sort of sleepy. “But whatever happened,” he whispered, his voice going hard, sounding suddenly so sure, the voice not of a boy but something terrifying, in the night “it will not happen again.”_ _

__He imagined that was what Damian sounded like, when his voice echoed in the city, when he wore his Robin costume with that _R_ that he had pressed his cheek to. With the colors that Vanni thought were gorgeous- and thinking about that suit, about _Damian_ in it, made his heart feel like a caged, panicky bird. Vanni let his lips part, like he might have words- but _Damian_ was wrapping his arms around him then, pulling him into a hug. Vanni fell against him awkwardly, partially sprawled, and couldn’t help but smile, snuggling into his chest, inhaling deeply and ingraining what he smelled like, into his mind- hoping to calm his pulse, to keep his breathing steady._ _

__He believed it. He _believed_ him, just like he believed his dads, when they said they loved him._ _

__The embrace was short, but it was enough. Damian released Vanni and climbed out of the bed, stretching more as he spun on his heel- and from where his tank top rode up, Vanni could see the edge of his scar, down along his spine. “C’mon Titus,” he said, and the large dog hopped off the bed, lumbering for the door. Damian followed, pausing when he opened it to turn back. “Head downstairs, I am sure Alfred is making breakfast.”_ _

__He left then, and Vanni simply flopped back down onto the bed, for a moment. He rolled over, snuggled into Damian’s pillow- smiled to himself because it smelled so good- vaguely wondered if his own hair would smell like Damian’s sheets and pillows now. The thought made him giggle, and he couldn’t fathom _why_ , but he let it happen. Let it bubble out of him until he was pressing his face into the pillow tightly, trying to stifle it, to calm himself._ _

__When the laughter finally subsided, he got up, left the room and headed down the large staircase. He could _smell_ Alfred cooking, and his stomach gave a loud grumble, which only made his feet move faster. He peeked into the kitchen, found the man piling waffles onto a plate, and absentmindedly licked his lips._ _

__“Good morning Master Vanni,” Alfred offered, glancing over and catching sight of him. “Just in time, I was about to sound the breakfast bell.” He motioned for him to come in, and Vanni walked into the kitchen, right over to Alfred’s side. “How do you like your waffles?”_ _

__Vanni shrugged a shoulder. He hadn’t _had_ one before, so he wasn’t sure. Alfred only smiled at him though, lifting up the large plate and heading for the dining room. Vanni followed, watched Alfred set it down, before the man gestured towards a seat._ _

__“Settle in, I’ll fetch the rest of the troops.” Alfred disappeared while Vanni hopped up onto a chair, settling in and looking at the _other_ plate of waffles Alfred had set on the table earlier, getting his feet up on the chair so that he could curl his arms around his legs._ _

__The first to join him were his dads, looking _less serious_ then the night before. He perked up at the footsteps, grinned at seeing them- and he still felt bad, _guilty_ , in the pit of his belly, but it ebbed away when they both were ruffling his hair, Jason bending over to hug him, despite a subtle groan as he pulled at his stitches, and Dick showering his cheeks in kisses._ _

__“How’d you sleep kiddo?” He asked, getting the tip of his nose. Vanni giggled._ _

__“Okay,” he said, and then, because he couldn’t _help it_ , “I’m sorry.”_ _

__“Hey,” Jason said, crouching down now so he had to look up at Vanni, as he turned to face him. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was a mistake, and they happen. You know Dick wouldn’t hurt me, right?” Vanni nodded. “Just like I wouldn’t hurt him?” Another nod. Jason smiled. “Then it’s all okay. Last night was rough…”_ _

__He trailed off, and Dick picked up. “And kiddo… maybe we should talk sometime. If you feel comfortable.” Vanni licked his lips._ _

__“Damian… said I could talk to him too,” he managed, his hands plucking at his yoga pants, needing to move. “I don’t know what to say.”_ _

__“You don’t have to right now,” Dick said, kissing his temple again. “Okay? When you’re ready. We’re always here.” He nodded, and both Jason and Dick moved to sit down, across the table from him, as a door slammed in the distance. There was the sound of claws on the floors, and Damian huffing out loudly,_ _

__“I do not know why you have to sniff the _whole yard_ before you piss Titus! You have gone senile!”_ _

__Jason barked in laughter, slamming his fist on the table before leaning over, losing control and just _laughing_. Dick snorted, was grinning when a slightly disgruntled Damian made his way into the dining room, scowling at them._ _

__“-tt- What is so funny?”_ _

__“You yelling at your damn dog,” Jason managed, his voice cracking with laughter. Damian glared, flipped them both off, before pulling a chair out, sitting next to Vanni. His hair was still sticking out in a few different directions, and something _about_ his scowl had Vanni giggling._ _

__Damian glanded at him, before the scowl fell away. “Don’t join them,” he said, and Vanni only giggled _more_ , which made Damian smile. He reached over, playfully shoved Vanni with one hand, rolling his eyes. “You can all fuck off,” he laughed, and Dick _tried_ to speak through his laughter,_ _

__“Language, Damian!”_ _

__“Watch what you’re teaching my kid,” Jason added, but he was smiling, and Vanni felt so _good_ suddenly, with everyone there. As if everything from the night before- Jason’s blood and the terror and the court and the fear that his dads had suddenly turned on each other- it was all gone, for one glimmering moment._ _

__“Is everything alright out here?” Bruce asked, walking in as the _last_ member, and settling in at the head of the table. “It sounds like a circus.”_ _

__“Grayson is here, of _course_ it is a circus.”_ _

__This time, _Dick_ flipped Damian off._ _

__“I will remove you both from this table,” Alfred offered, walking out with a tray littered with mugs, “If you do not behave.” He handed one to Bruce first, passing out the mugs littered with coffee- variously sweetened as needed, before he ended at Vanni, offering him a large cup of tea. “And for the darling after my own heart,” he added, and Vanni smiled, taking a big sip of the very warm liquid._ _

__“Some of us need the caffeine boost,” Jason said, and Damian added,_ _

__“You cannot even call with Grayson drinks _coffee_. It’s almost as bad as Drake.”_ _

__“Well sorry that some of us don’t like bitter bean water,” Dick teased, the two making an array of faces at each other, before ending in grins. Vanni smiled into his mug, watching as everyone began piling food onto their plates. He was still enjoying his tea- he was sure in that moment that Alfred simply made it the best- when Jason leaned across the table, taking his plate._ _

__“Alright little wing, what do you want on your waffles?”_ _

__Vanni shrugged a shoulder, watched as Dick grabbed the jar of peanut butter, twisting the top off. “Pass his plate here, I’ll make him a waffle he’ll never forget.”_ _

__“If he can _taste_ it, beneath all that peanut butter and syrup,” Jason said._ _

__“Better than if Tim was here and we had to bust out the whipped cream too,” Dick said, before, “granted I mean if we _have_ any-”_ _

__“You are a child.” Damian now, who was carefully slicing a banana on his plate. Vanni didn’t know who to watch, and his eyes kept flicking between them all._ _

__“No, I just know what I like,” Dick reasoned, and beneath his breath, Jason added,_ _

__“Yeah you do.”_ _

__Alfred gave a very loud sigh, as Bruce chuckled into his mug, his coffee half gone already. Dick only laughed, passing the peanut butter across the table to Damian without a word, as Jason stood up and leaned over, settling Vanni’s plate back in front of him._ _

__“Let’s just go classic for now,” he offered, and Vanni had his fork in hand, cutting into one of the waffles before Jason would even pull away. He gave the syrup a minute to drip off onto the plate, before he popped the chunk into his mouth- and promptly made a little noise in joy, cutting another piece._ _

__“Congrats Alfie,” Dick said, “You’ve done it again.” Alfred smiled, lifting his head a bit, taking another sip of his tea._ _

__Vanni nearly inhaled his first waffle, started work on his second as he watched Damian eating his own- smothered in peanut butter with those banana slices he’d been working on scattered on top. He must have stared too long, because Damian quirked up a brow, before cutting off a piece, offering his fork towards him._ _

__“Try it,” he said, and Vanni leaned over, pulled the piece off without taking the fork, chewing slowly before smiling and nodding. Damian lifted his head, had this silly look of _pride_ over his taste being validated- and across the table, he missed the look Jason and Dick shot each other._ _

__“Since we’re all alert now,” Bruce offered, as he set his now empty mug down, his own breakfast mostly untouched. “We need to have a discussion.”_ _

__And just like that, the mood seemed heavy. Vanni glanced around, noticed Damian seemed equally confused._ _

__“Vanni,” Dick said, and he looked over at his dad. “We uhm… we need to ask you something. And we want you to be honest, okay?”_ _

__Vanni nodded, setting his fork down._ _

__“What happened last night to Jason,” Dick started, “what the Court did- we don’t think they’re going to stop. We have to stop them. And… well-”_ _

__“You worked with them, you were _raised_ by them,” Bruce said, taking over. “You know their underground network. You can lead us to them. We want you to take us to the Court of Owls.”_ _

__Across from Vanni, Jason looked visibly displeased, but he wasn’t speaking._ _

__“If we don’t act now, we’re only putting ourselves at a greater risk,” Bruce continued, “and whether you help or not, we have to act. But it would help.”_ _

__“You don’t have to,” Jason broke in, “you _don’t_.”_ _

__Vanni swallowed, glanced around the faces at the table- all of them with their eyes trained on him. He thought about the interconnecting hallways he had known, had been walked through- thought of the cell that had been his own, of being _on display_ like he was a product, something to be bought and shown off for the Court-_ _

__He thought of everything he had run from, in the hopes of discovering who he really was-_ _

__And he thought about that feeling of _helplessness_ he had felt, the night before. When he had seen Jason bleeding, had felt like all those years of _learning_ had been for nothing._ _

__He wouldn’t be helpless, ever again._ _

__He nodded, slowly. He saw the flash of damn near agony, on Jason’s face, the fear in Dick’s eyes- but Bruce only gave him a curt nod, a small smile._ _

__“It is settled then. After breakfast, we’ll map out a route. I need you to tell me everything about the Court that you can.” Vanni licked his lips, nodded. Bruce glanced around the table. “It will just be us five. Cassandra and Stephanie-”_ _

__“Joined Tim for some Titans work, I know,” Dick said, “Cass told me she wouldn’t be stopping by this week.”_ _

__“We have faced worse odds,” Damian offered. “And we still have _friends_.” No one commented on that, and Vanni glanced at Damian, but couldn’t read his almost secret smile._ _

__“You’re sure about this?” Jason asked, looking across the table at Vanni. “You don’t have to. No one will be mad- we understand.”_ _

__Vanni licked his lips again, nodded. “I’m sure,” he whispered, and in his gut, that squirming, writhing thing known as anger began to take root. Began to sink it’s claws into him-_ _

__He wasn’t helpless, and he would let himself be _angry_ for the first time, over what the Court had done to him. Angry because he saw now, with this family, what he could have had all along._ _

__And he was ready to make someone _bleed_ for the agony he had endured._ _


End file.
